Kortekaas and Luisle write history in the sand

When crossing between the Saudi canyons, it is not uncommon to see small mountains of pebbles placed on top of huge rocks. It is an age-old legend from the NEOM desert that says that if a visitor leaves one of these pebbles behind, he will return to Saudi Arabia and all will be well.

Tessa Kortekaas and Luis León Sánchez may not be superstitious people, but, as if the legend were true and they had left a pebble in the pile, they could not have had a better comeback than the one they have had in 2024.

Both fell short of their goal in the NEOM Titan Desert 2023. ‘Luisle’ managed to make the podium, but the Dutchwoman showed weakness for the first time in Titan World Series and had to abandon in the second stage due to illness.

Today, just finished the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia 2024, the two riders have written race history.

The finishing touch has been a stage that proved to be much harder on the bike than it seemed on paper. Little more than 50 kilometers, but with many stretches of soft sand where you riders had to take their foot off the ground.

It is precisely in this terrain that Álvaro Galindo proved once again to be the strongest. This Segovian, who lives in Dubai, is a rookie in the race and was, until yesterday, the great unknown of the cyclists who were always in the lead. Today, however, he was the wheel to follow. 

GALINDO, MASTER OF THE SAND
 Like yesterday, both Galindo and Jorge Lamiel broke away and came out with a good gap from the softest and most technical areas. They rode together towards the final arc.

They rode together until the finish line with a result that benefited both: stage victory and third place in the GC for Galindo and second place in the GC for Lamiel, who completed the podium together with Luis León Sánchez.

They rode together until the finish line with a result that benefited both: stage victory and third place in the GC for Galindo and second place in the GC for Lamiel, who completed the podium together with Luis León Sánchez.

For her part, Tessa Kortekaas did the only thing Tessa Kortekaas knows: win and make history. The Dutchwoman’s haul on November 22, 2024 is the best in the history of the race: full stage and GC victories in the three Titan World Series races of the year, the first woman to win five overall victories, the first person to win the entire cycle in a single year…

There are no words left to describe the overwhelming dominance of the Cannondale ISB Sport rider. A story written in rock and sand. That of a woman who has forever changed the face of the most incredible adventures that can be done on a mountain bike.